Booker says Shaftan interview is a sign of how Lonegan would act

TRENTON — Cory Booker said today that a profanity-laced interview a top Steve Lonegan advisor gave last week — which got the aide fired — was indicative of a campaign that has been “disrespectful” and “demeaning” from the start.

“This is not an aberration,” Booker said during a stop in Trenton this afternoon. “This is a consistent theme that is coming out of their campaign.”

Lonegan, a Republican who faces Booker in a special election for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, fired the aide, Rick Shaftan, after he gave an interview in which he ridiculed Booker for his online interactions with an Oregon stripper. Shaftan said it was “weird” and said the exchange made the mayor look gay. Lonegan said the comments “are not reflective of my views or that of my campaign.”

But Booker said the episode was a sign of how his opponent would act in Washington.

“Let me remind you, when the campaign started they sent out a tweet calling parts of Newark Nigeria and other things like that,” Booker said. “Then they followed it by demeaning all gays and lesbians by saying that, if you’re a gay male, you’re not a real man.

“Then they go to the debates, we heard it – everybody – referring to Newark, N.J., as a black hole with bodies in the river – saying things like, we should level Camden, that’s a solution to the problem.”

Booker said Shaftan’s comments to Talking Points Memo were “consistent with that kind of disregard and disrespect,” and that Lonegan would say “those kind of things” as a senator.